Why Did Jesus Get Baptized? (Part 2)

What the Baptism of Jesus Reveals About his Identity and Mission

Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

In part 1 of this series on why Jesus got baptized, we explored the way the baptism of Jesus signaled the dawn of a new era for the people of Israel and for Jesus specifically.

In today’s post we’ll shift our attention to the way the baptism of Jesus reveals something important about his identity and mission.

What the Baptism of Jesus Tells us About His Identity and Mission

"And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” -Luke 3:22

One of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen, sees the baptism of Jesus as the most decisive moment in Jesus’ life. Why? Because of the way it affirmed his true identity as the beloved son of God:

“The spiritual life requires a constant claiming of our true identity. Our true identity is that we are God's children, the beloved sons and daughters of our heavenly Father. Jesus' life reveals to us this mysterious truth. After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John, as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on you'. This is the decisive moment of Jesus' life. His true identity is declared to him. He is the Beloved of God. As 'the Beloved' he is being sent into the world so that through him all people will discover and claim their own belovedness.” -Henri Nouwen, Here and Now

If there’s one thing we need to get right about our theology, it’s the identity of Jesus. At the very center of the Gospel message is the truth that Jesus is the Son of God—the risen savior who died for the sins of the world and was raised back to life. God’s words to Jesus immediately following his baptism help us understand that Jesus is no ordinary man. Although Jesus was fully like us in all of his humanity, he was fully divine in a way that no one else could be. The convergence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in the waters of baptism was undeniable proof that Jesus was the beloved son of God.

But beyond that, there’s a lot more we can learn about the identity and mission of Jesus from the story of his baptism. For example:

• Jesus is the true King of Israel who will bring judgment against the enemies of God.

• Jesus is the suffering servant who will bring justice to the oppressed.

• Jesus is the high priest who will make atonement for the sins of the world.

Jesus is the King Who Will Bring Judgment on the Enemies of God.

“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.” -Psalm 2:6-7 (NIV)

Did you know the phrase “you are my son,” is actually a quote from Psalm 2:7? Psalm 2 begins by talking about the prideful nations of the world rising up to conspire against the God of Israel, and how God will raise up his own king to bring these evil kings to judgment. “You are my son” is part of what God says to this new king to show his special relationship with him. And as it turns out, Psalm 2:7 is the one and only time the phrase “you are my son” is used in the Old Testament, which helps cement the Biblical connection between the baptism of Jesus and the coronation of a new King over Israel.

It is very likely that God had both the literal and prophetic meanings in mind when he spoke these words during the baptism of Jesus. He wanted the world to know the truth about Jesus (he is the Son of God) as well as the fact that Jesus was the one true King of Israel who would bring judgment to all the evil nations and kings of the world who were rising up against God.

Jesus is the Suffering Servant Who will Bring Justice to the Oppressed.

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations…” Isaiah 42:1 (NIV)

The phrase “with you I am well pleased” is likely an allusion to Isaiah 42:1-7, which talks about the "servant of the Lord”—a phrase that commonly refers to the Messiah. God says he delights in this servant and will put his Spirit on him, which is very similar to what God says and does during the baptism of Jesus.

In Isaiah 42:1-7, we see that the servant of the Lord is called upon to bring justice to the world (something that is repeated three times in first four verses of chapter 42), to form a new covenant between God and his people, to be a light to the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to free the captives from prison, and to release those who sit in darkness. This servant is an advocate for everyone who has been oppressed, neglected, and overlooked. When Jesus preached his first public sermon in the chapter following his baptism, he quoted from a similar passage from Isaiah that specifically mentions the outpouring of the Spirit and his calling to preach good news to the poor, the outsiders, and the down and out.

Jesus is the High Priest Who Will Make Atonement for the Sins of the People.

“This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests…Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water.” -Exodus 29:1, 4 (NIV)

In the Old Testament, before a Levite could begin offering sacrifices and serving as a priest in the Temple, they had to go through a formal process of being ordained and consecrated. There were several steps involved in this, including putting on the priestly attire, preparing sacrifices, and being sprinkled with blood.

So what does the baptism of Jesus have to do with the orientation of priests? Well, part of that ordination process was being washed with water (Exodus 29:4; 40:12; Leviticus 8:6) so that they could make sacrifices in the temple. The baptism of Jesus can be read as Jesus essentially doing the same thing—washing himself so that he could begin serving as the High priest of Israel.

The writer of Hebrews seems to understand the baptism of Jesus this way as well, because he quotes from the same coronation passage (“You are my son” — Psalm 2:7) when he refers to the way that God chose Jesus to be our high priest. In other words, since the writer of Hebrews sees “you are my son” as the moment when Jesus was ordained as high priest (Hebrews 5:5), and since those words were spoken during Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:22), we can read the baptism of Jesus as his priestly ordination. Just as the Levites were washed so they could serve God and make sacrifices, so also Jesus was baptized so he could begin serving as our high priest.

Application

When Jesus was baptized, God affirmed his true identity as the Son of God, the King of the world, the Messianic servant, and the High Priest who would make atonement for the sins of the world. Although there were only a handful of words being spoken, and a simple action being taken, those words and actions were full of symbolism about the identity and mission of Jesus.

Our next and final post on the baptism of Jesus will focus on the way Jesus’ baptism shows us the kinds of blessings we can experience when we are baptized into Christ.